Steamboat Lake was originally built in the late Nineteen Sixties, in the drainage valley of five creeks. During the Summer of 1987 the lake was drained to allow the construction of the swim beach on the North Shore. This caused the level of the lake to fall and leave mud flats exposed all around the lake, especially near the underwater point that the Marina is built near. One day Larry Lamb and a group of friends came to the lake to fish, not knowing that the lake was at such a low water level. They expressed their disappointment that they could not rent a boat, and asked if there was any way to still get some fishing in. They were directed to the end of the point, an area that had previously been underwater, and proceeded to used the recommended rig. Within an hour of dropping a large brown wooly booger on a float bubble in the water, Larry caught a monstrous trout. It was a natural crossbreed between a native cutthroat and a rainbow trout, known as a "cutbow". The fish was 18 1/2 inches long and weighed 5 1/2 pounds. This group of local fishermen were thus able to turn a potentially disappointing day into one of the epic fishing days in the history of Steamboat Lake, and harvested a great story to recall as well as some fine fish.

One other incident related to the draining of Steamboat Lake is worth mentioning. During the Summer of 1987, while the lake was draining, the outflow of the dam into WIllow Creek was at an all time high. Two employees of Steamboat Lake Marina, not understanding the potential dangers involved, embarked upon an adventure. Paddling an open plastic Coleman canoe across the lake to the dam, they then rode the canoe down the grass bank of the dam to the outflow at Willow Creek. After proceeding down the meanders between the dam and Willow Creek Canyon, the two intrepid travellers began their white water run in the canyon proper. This section of the run lasted about three minutes, and came to a bad end. Upon encountering the first large boulder pile, the paddler in front was thrown from the boat and clung to the boulders for dear life. The remaining canoeist remained upright and dry about 30 seconds more, then was swamped in a massive pour over that immediately trapped the canoe in a rock pile that refused to release the boat from the powerful hydraulics. Both boaters survived the experience with only injured pride and various bruises. The canoe remained trapped in the rocks and current for three weeks, until the water level dropped low enough to release it. The Moral of the Story: Scout all white water runs, and if you have any doubts about the safety of a run, don't run it.